How can I save the info of Swiss Half Fare Card

TXNAUST

How can I save the info of Swiss Half Fare Card to the Orders section of My account in the SBB app or through sbb.ch login. Otherwise I have to print out in paper format to show the QR code for inspection and this may cause trouble if I lost that paper! I have bought the Swiss Half Fare Card before I registered with SwissPass. Please help and let me know your advice. Kind Regards

RolandP

Hello TXNAUST

It cannot be seen in the SBB Mobile App if it wasn’t purchased as a registered user.

You cannot import a ticket or travel card into the SBB Mobile App that was purchased as a guest.

Simply store your Swiss Travel Pass as a PDF document on your phone, or take a screenshot of the QR-Code and store it in your image gallery. And, if you lose your paper copy, you could simply ask the hotel’s receptionist or an agent in the SBB ticket office to reprint it for you.

Whenever you travel with your Swiss Travel Pass, you must carry your physical ID or ID card with you. Paper copies or photos of it on smartphones are not accepted.

Moreover, the SBB Mobile App does not know by default that you have purchased a Swiss Half Fare Card because the Swiss Half Fare Card is a ticket type of document.

To activate your Swiss Half Fare Card, it is necessary to initially activate the Half Fare setting in your personal information. How?
In the SBB Mobile app, when you are about to book tickets, on the screen with the ticket offers, click the pen icon. Then tick the ‘Half Fare Card’ checkbox, and save. The SBB Mobile app will update the ticket offers taking the half fare into account.
The same you can do for co-passengers: Open the SBB Mobile app, go to tab “Profile”, then select “Co-Passenger” from the menu. Add the passengers for which you want to purchase tickets, and activate the Half fare card option for everyone that will have one, or for children from 6 to 15.99 years of age.

See screenshots below.

To complete my answer: Yes, the Swiss Half Fare Card and the Half Fare Card do have the identical range of vality. The Swiss Half Fare Card is the tourist version of the Half Fare Card, the resident’s half fare card.

Kind regards,
Roland

Thoussuethoill31

RolandP
Thank you for the help, but this is the whole reason I bought a HFC and now a full Swiss Pass card, in order to make it easy to merge into the SBB mobile app. I have spent over 4 hours yesterday and today, simply trying to buy travel passes and load them in the app, so I can purchase scenic train trips with these discounts!!
I looked all over my SBB account, which I set up first, and could not find anywhere to purchase the pass from within the app, and now I cannot merge the passes I purchased at swissrailways.com.
I am so frustrated, I am about to cancel this entire trip and just spend my 2 weeks in Italy instead.

Does it really have to be this difficult?? SBB Mobile acts like I can add a Swiss Pass OR a travelcard, but requires a customer number, which is nowhere to be found on the ticket. I thought I was buying a pass at $822, not a ticket!
So frustrating, and I was told this was easy!
Kimber

TXNAUST

Thank you very much for your advice. I have bought a couple of Saver Day Pass with Swiss Half Fare Card option base on your help full advice.

RolandP

Hello TXNAUST

Thanks for the feedback. I am happy that my answer was of help.

Please let us know if you have got other questions, also while travelling. We will reply within hours.

Kind regards,
Roland

scloh

https://community.sbb.ch/d/26418-how-can-i-save-the-info-of-swiss-half-fare-card
I refer to an earlier post as above link.

I have ticked the half fare card in the SBB mobile app as advised in the earlier post. The earlier post mentioned that the SBB mobile app will update the ticket offers taking the half fare into account. But I do not see any change in the ticket price in the app. Does the price change immediately or I have to proceed to the payment section to see the reduced price?
Thank you.

RolandP

Hello scloh

Yes, the price is immediately updated once you save the settings in the personal information, and you leave the subpage.

Do you have any example where it does not work for you?

Kind regards,
Roland

Espi

Hi Roland, thank you for helping. I have the same issue. I ticked the half fare card and applied it but the ticket price is the same either I tick the half fare card or not. How to solve this? Please give advice.

RolandP

Hello Espi

Do you have a screenshot or at least the route you will be travelling?

Kind regards,
Roland

Thoussuethoill31

RolandP
screenshot of what? the SBB mobile page that says add a Swiss Pass?
I am trying to book all three scenic routes, and travel inbetween
Leaving from Milan/Lugano/Tirano to St. Moritz (BERNINA EXPRESS)
St. Moritz to Zermatt (GLACIER EXPRESS),
Zermatt to Lucerne, via Brig on longer LOTSCHBERG route, to Bern for the day, then on to LUCERNE for lodging there.
Return to Laguna with boat trip on GOTHARD PANO EXPRESS.
So if I can’t even get the pass to load in an app, that all seems impossible to book. I am already out 90 days from 8/30/25 departure in high season and I can’t even get the pass and app synced. UGH!!

Thoussuethoill31

RolandP
I am trying to book all three scenic routes, and travel inbetween
Leaving from Milan/Lugano/Tirano to St. Moritz (BERNINA EXPRESS)
St. Moritz to Zermatt (GLACIER EXPRESS),
Zermatt to Lucerne, via Brig on longer LOTSCHBERG route, to Bern for the day, then on to LUCERNE for lodging there.
Return to Laguna with boat trip on GOTHARD PANO EXPRESS.
So if I can’t even get the pass to load in an app, that all seems impossible to book. I am already out 90 days from 8/30/25 departure in high season and I can’t even get the pass and app synced. UGH!!

RolandP

Hello Thoussuethoill31

Welcome to the SBB Community.

We are a customer support forum run by volunteering travel experts. We are not the SBB Customer Service. If you need instant help, please kindly call SBB: 011 41 51 225 78 56 (avail. 24/7).

May I ask to use a friendly language? We are here to help. But, we are not willing to help ranting people. Thanks for your understanding.

That said:

Train travel in Switzerland is as easy
It cannot be that difficult as you say. Every year hundred thousands of tourists use the Swiss Travel Pass. And they all seem to know how to use it. Train travel in Switzerland is very easy, you will see once you are here!

SwissPass vs. Swiss Travel Pass
The frustration comes all from the fact that you do not understand the difference between the SwissPass and the Swiss Travel Pass.

The SwissPass is for residents.
The Swiss Travel Pass is for tourists.

swissrailways.com
When you purchase the Swiss Travel Pass with swissrailways.com, you cannot see the Swiss Travel Pass in the SBB Mobile app since swissrailways.com is a travel agency run by Switzerland Tourism. I am not sure who told you to purchase from this company. The official Swiss Railways website is: www.sbb.ch/en

Using the Swiss Travel Pass in the SBB Mobile app
You can see the Swiss Travel Pass in the SBB Mobile app provided you have purchased the Swiss Travel Pass with SBB (see link below) and being connected with SBB customer account at check-out:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/guests-abroad/swiss-travel-pass.html

Purchasing travel passes on the SBB Mobile app
You cannot purchase the Swiss Travel Pass on the app. The app can sell tickets for single and return trips and day passes, not travel passes. Yet it can display them, for the ticket inspection. In your case, you have to show the PDF ticket, together with your physical passport (no photo copy, no photo of it on a smart phone).

Booking trains with a Swiss Travel Pass
There is no need to book trains holding the Swiss Travel Pass. The Swiss Travel Pass is your ticket. You can simply hop on/off any public transit service without loosing a thought on booking it.
The Swiss Travel Pass is fine for all trains that you have listed above. When arriving from Milan, however, it is valid from Chiasso, the border station.

Seat reservations
Our trains are free seating, except for the Glacier Express, the Golden Pass Express, and the Gotthard Panorama Express.

Please read our blog post on seat reservations in Switzerland to get an idea how travelling on Swiss trains works:
https://community.sbb.ch/blog/23887-demystifying-seat-reservations-on-swiss-trains-a-comprehensive-guide

Special trains
Now, you only need seat reservations for the PE trains, in other words, for the Glacier Express, and the Gotthard Panorama Express. For the latter, you must upgrade your Swiss Travel Pass to 1st class, if you do not have a 1st class STP anyway.
The seat reservations you can make with the operator, Glacier Express and Gotthard Panorama Express:

The Lötschberger is a normal train, also used by locals to go after their daily business; there is no need to reserve seats.

Instead of the Gotthard Panorama Express, you could also use the IR 26 or IR 46, called Treno Gottardo. Both trains use the same route as the Gotthard Panorama Express yet are regularly scheduled trains, also used by the locals. With the latter, you can save the 1st class upgrade fee as well as the seat reservation fee. There is no documentary on board, however.

Further assistance

Please let us know if you need further assistance. Or call SBB as instructed above.

Next time, please open a new discussion, ask your question and wait for a response. We are swift in responding, there is no need to SPAM anyone of us. Thank you.

Kind regards,
Roland

Thoussuethoill31

I’m assuming I can’t reserve seats without my ticket=Swiss Pass loaded in the app. I wanted the HFC which was hundreds of dollars less expensive, but bought the Swiss Pass, thinking it would be much easier to load and use….but not so.

Thoussuethoill31

RolandP

I’m sorry if I sounded like I was ranting, that was never my intention. My frustration is obvious, but it is not personal towards you. I appreciated your help very much on this topic. It is difficult for older persons to navigate this app and technology so please keep that in mind too.
i was able to reserve my seats on the 3 scenic trains so that seems to be important for me. I selected STP so no charge for fare, but I feel the HFC is a better, less expensive fit for my 8d trip. The STP was quite expensive and will not come close to paying for itself, now that I see the actual fares in SBB.
Do you think I will be able to edit/modify my seat reservations to show HFC vs STP? If not I will just deal with the costs as I go. A trip advisor helper suggested the Flex Pass (Flex pay? Not sure of correct term) where I pay as I go.
Thank you for your help, we Do appreciate it!